Former Liberal Democrat MSP for Central Scotland
I congratulate the committee, which has clearly done a good job, and which, by studying the issues intensively, has done what committees are supposed to do. I congratulate the Executive—which I do not often do—and the Parliament on the positive attitude that we now have to rail infrastructure and improving rail services of all sorts. That contrasts with the situation in the mid-1980s....
James Douglas-Hamilton and I go back to the early 1970s, when we were both councillors on Edinburgh Town Council. I will draw a veil over that. I am happy to support the motion, which sets out the Executive's position on education, but I would like to add to it. The motion, like many motions for debate on education, deals with young people as learners. We do not consider trying to make young...
I am sure that there are good points in the SNP amendment but, for reasons that the member will appreciate, I will not be voting for it. My first point is that we are denying our young people ordinary, civilised human contact. We have tried to approach the issue through the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Bill, which improved as it went through Parliament. I am arguing not about...
I am an assiduous watcher of "Yes, Minister" DVDs. Unfortunately, today I am in the position of the Sir Humphrey brigade, who often say, "Yes, of course I support this radical reform in principle," but then find all sorts of objections to it in practice. I find the position slightly uncomfortable. If the debate had terminated at the end of John Swinney's speech, I would have been even more...
In case any member is confused, this debate is not on the issue about which the Procedures Committee wrote to the Presiding Officer to say that it was concerned that the Parliament will not get a chance to debate a major report that we produced. This debate is on a different issue. It is also important, but it is quite separate. The Scottish Commission for Public Audit is a committee, in...
I have a problem in that the two parliamentary committees on which I serve—the Standards and Public Appointments Committee and the Procedures Committee—are both housekeeping committees for the Parliament and, for whatever reason, it is difficult to excite members about housekeeping issues, many of which are important. However, we must live with that. The Standards and Public Appointments...
I seek clarification from the minister. Obviously, there are political arguments about these issues, but I suggest that we should try to pass laws that are reasonably sensible whatever the politics behind them. The bill will introduce the new concept of time-ism, rather like ageism and racism. Activities that are carried out at certain times of the day will be considered good and worthy,...
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to recruit and train more teachers of the deaf.
